3/18/2012

Sunday Dinner

I know, I know... St. Patrick's Day was yesterday, but this is the Sunday closest to the holiday and I wanted to get my corned beef dinner fix ☺. I shared several of the recipes on the menu last year, so there are links to those above.

The last few years, we have enjoyed this cake for our dessert, but the weather as been unseasonably warm and beautiful and I have been spending more time outdoors than in the kitchen. Having said that, I wanted to have a dessert that was quick to put together and of course it needed an Irish twist.

At first, putting stout in pudding might not seem like a good idea, but like these cookies, it works. The stout lends a tasty mocha flavor to the chocolate pudding. I lightened up the original recipe, which called for 2 1/4 cups of heavy cream. I used some half-and-half and a bit of cornstarch to keep a nice consistency and to cut the fat and calories. I also feel that a serving size of eight, rather than six, is plenty generous. Even with the lightened version, it is still rich and decadent. The original recipe also called for Guinness in the whipped topping, but I think a little Baileys Irish Cream in the whipped cream is nice.

For the PuddingIn a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch; set aside.

Pour the Guinness, heavy cream, half-and-half, and espresso powder into a heavy bottomed 3-quart saucepan; whisk to combine. Cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until bubbles appear at the edges of the pan. Remove from the heat, add chocolate, and whisk until smooth and chocolate is completely melted.

Slowly temper the egg yolk mixture by whisking in 1/2 cup ladles full of the chocolate-cream mixture at a time. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cover over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. If pudding looks curdled, blend using an immersion blender or carefully with a stand blender until smooth.

Divide pudding into 6-8 serving glasses or dishes, leaving at least 1-inch of space at the top for the cream. Refrigerate until chilled and set.

For the Cream ToppingIn a large chilled bowl, beat the cream, Baileys, and sugar until soft peaks form. Top each pudding cup with cream and serve. Enjoy!